hearken

play

verb heark·en \ ˈhär-kən \

Definition of hearken

hearkened; hearkening play \ˈhärk-niŋ, ˈhär-kə-\

intransitive verb

1 :listen

hearkened without much mental comment
—Theodore Dreiser

2 :to give respectful attention

the humble folk who hearkened to these evangelists
—G. M. Stephenson

transitive verb

archaic :to give heed to :hear

See hearken defined for kids

Examples of hearken in a Sentence

hearken! I hear the distant beat of the hooves of many horses

Recent Examples of hearken from the Web

That hearkens to its incorporation by a late-arriving tribe of pioneers of European origin.

— stephen nash, New York Times, "At Bears Ears in Utah, Heated Politics and Precious Ruins," 25 July 2017
A wonderful sequence including multicolored sands and a globe of water hearkens back to ancient Egypt.

— mel shields, sacbee, "Rob Lake brings the magic to Harrah’s," 20 July 2017
For Algonquin, the swiftly rising Fox River hearkened back to memories of damaging flooding in 2013, according to village President John Schmitt.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin area anxious for Fox River to crest," 17 July 2017
But his 23-point, six-rebound performance in Charlotte hearkened back to his 11-year NBA career.

— c jackson cowart, charlotteobserver, "Is the BIG3 a professional basketball league or a traveling sideshow?," 2 July 2017
Petroff reports that the chambers' restored frescoes hearken back to Rome’s pagan roots and early Biblical influences.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Restored Roman Catacombs Reveal Stunning Frescoes," 5 June 2017
The dark comedy, hearkening back to a simpler time, will feature ensemble members Lance Baker, Kirsten Fitzgerald and Natalie West.

— morgan greene, chicagotribune.com, "Michael Shannon back for 25th anniversary Red Orchid season," 1 June 2017
Opened in the fall in Hillman City, Emma’s felt warm and inviting, hearkening to a time before the encroachment of boxy town houses.

— tan vinh, The Seattle Times, "Taste test: 4 new Seattle barbecue spots," 31 May 2017
The explosive growth hearkens back to the 1990s, a decade in which Bend more than doubled its population.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "New population estimates put Bend among nation's fastest-growing cities," 25 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hearken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hearken

Middle English herknen, from Old English heorcnian; akin to Old High German hōrechen to listen, Old English hīeran to hear

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hearken Synonyms

Synonyms

attend, hark, harken, hear, listen, heed, mind

Antonyms

ignore, tune out

Near Antonyms

discount, disregard

HEARKEN Defined for Kids

hearken

play

verb hear·ken \ ˈhär-kən \

Definition of hearken for Students

hearkened; hearkening

:listen 1

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See words that rhyme with hearken Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hearken Spanish Central: Translation of hearken Nglish: Translation of hearken for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hearken for Arabic speakers

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hearken

Definition of hearken

Examples of hearken in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hearken from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hearken

hearken Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

HEARKEN Defined for Kids

hearken

Definition of hearken for Students

Learn More about hearken

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